What exactly is Bonsai?

Bonsai is an art form that is composed partly of horticulture and partly three-dimensional design. To qualify, the growing miniature tree must be both a representation of nature and creative expression.

Atlanta's Premier Bonsai Nursery

Full Moon Bonsai is dedicated to bringing you the very best traditional Japanese bonsai available. For over 20yrs. we have lived to create beautiful, artistic bonsai for our customers. Each tree is styled using the time honored traditions of this super cool art form. We Strive to create unique bonsai using a wide variety of plant material and then sell them at very reasonable prices.

If fact, our prices are so good our customers say they paid one third as much as on other sites, and no one can can match our quality. We even make our own bonsai soil for optimal growth. Our site goes way beyond just selling trees, we want to teach you how to create great Bonsai too. As time goes by we are going to make this site very educational with lot of links,video and great tips as well. Our goal is to entice you to give bonsai a try and engage you into collecting bonsai as a long term passtime. We hope that you find the great satisfaction that comes from this amazing art form.

If you have questions or comments please contact us at 770-426-9991. Or e-mail us at
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Please note that visits to our nursery are available by appointment only please.

Deciduous Bonsai Trees

Evergreen Bonsai Trees

Tropical Bonsai Trees

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Bonsai's Comfort The Soul

Bonsai

This Bonsai tree is a Black Pine tree that has been cut so that it grows in the shape of a dragon

Bonsai is the art of growing trees in a container and in a special way. We are not dwarfing the material but it will grow naturally more compact in the bonsai pot. With periodic pruning and repotting we are creating a culture for the tree in a pot.. This is done by carefully watering the tree when necesary and by maintaining the shape as it matures. Bonsai trees are trained to grow into a shape that is pleasing to look at. The best bonsai trees appear to be old, have a shape that seems natural.

The word bonsai means "tray garden" in the Japanese language. Bonsai is a very old art form in Japan, but is not as old as penjing. Penjing is a Chinese art form that is almost the same as bonsai.

History

The art of bonsai began in China over two thousand years ago, where it has been called penzai, a word that is almost the same as bonsai. It was brought to Japan some time near the year 1300 A.D. Bonsai spread to Korea some time from the 7th to the 13th century --during the Tang or Songdynasty In Korea, the art form is now called (분재) or Bunjae -- which also sounds like "bonsai". People in China still practice this form of artistic gardening. Because the Chinese art is mostly shown outdoors, Chinese penjing plants are often larger than Japanese bonsai

Cultivation

A bonsai plant does not have the large root base of a tree in nature. Therefore it cannot be left unattended for long periods. It is dependent on the owner the owner for its daily care. Usually a bonsai in good draining soil is watered daily in mid summer if it does not rain. Fertilizer is also nessesary for the health and growth of the tree. It is possible for a well-tended bonsai to live to be older than a large tree of the same species. However, a bonsai needs much care, and a poorly-tended bonsai will not be healthy and might die. (Please see care sheet for more info.)

Artistry

In the art of bonsai a sense of beauty, patience, and a dramatic flair are all needed. Of course, the type of plant, the shape of the plant, as well as the arrangement are all important aspects of this art form. Bonsai is a very subtle art form, the movement of a branch or the trees position in the pot can make a big differnce in the impact of the piece. The art of bonsai, like any other art form is dependent on the expertise and experience of the artist. Bonsai styles will also vary greatly from country to country.(See our section on Bonsai Aestetics for more.)

Origin

At the heart of any Bonsai Nursery are the plants that are used to creat the bonsai. We travel all over the Southeast to source a wide variety of material at different levels of maturity. We buy from other bonsai growers and also collect wild trees and import material from China and Japan. Hardly anyone else in the industry can do this. It takes a huge investment of time and resources built over several decades to be able bring you the finest products available. In general, the internet is a lousy place to shop for a bonsai tree. It is dominated by high volume low quality merchants that charge ridiculous prices. We are out to change all of that. The people of Japan gave something unique of their culture to us and a living tribute to peace between to all the nations of the world and it is this tradition that we honor in our work..

The story of small trees in pots at the U. S. National Arboretum actually began in 1972 with a gift of penjing trees from China to President Richard M. Nixon. These trees were eventually moved to the Arboretum as the first acquisition of this art form. So there was good reason to acquire more Chinese penjing, the antecedent art form of bonsai, for the Museum. Therefore in the 1980s, when a large collection of penjing from Dr. Yee sun-Wu of Hong Kong was offered to the Museum, it was gratefully accepted.

Now, possessing both Chinese and Japanese collections, the Museum could give visitors a sense of the two main threads in the ancient historical continuum of artistic potted trees.

While bonsai and penjing frame the Museum's name and are the foundation of its growth, it is the collection of North American plants from regional artists that brings an indigenous focus to the enterprise. Each tree is a gift from a collector within North America and each work of art shows how these practitioners are bringing a new dimension to an old art form.

As the good reputation of the Museum has spread, other donors (for example Daizo Iwasaki of Japan and the late Stanley Chinn of Maryland) offered new specimens to the different collections. This has enriched the collections and brought new visitors to wonder at these small trees.

Three separate collections representing three different cultures and geographical locations in one Museum in the capital of the United States: the trees are here as a gift to be shared with all people.